all else to shame. Tucked under a covering of dry leaves the blossoms
wait for a ray of warm sunshine to bring them out. The last year's
leaves stay on through the winter brooding over the little fresh
sprouts. These embryo flowers are further protected by a fuzzy covering.
This reminds one of a similar protective covering which new fern leaves
have. In the spring a hepatica plant wastes no time on getting a new
suit of leaves. It makes its old ones do until the blossom has had its
day. Then the new leaves, started to be sure before this, have a chance.
These delayed, are ready to help out next season. You will find
hepaticas growing in clusters, sort of family groups. They are likely to
be found in rather open places in the woods. The soil is found to be
rich and loose. So these should go only in partly shaded places and
under good soil conditions. If planted with other woods specimens give
them the benefit of a rather exposed position, that they may catch the
early spring sunshine. I should cover hepaticas over with a light litter
of leaves in the fall. During the last days of February, unless the
weather is extreme take this leaf covering away. You'll find the
hepatica blossoms all ready to poke up their heads.

"The spring beauty hardly allows the hepatica to get ahead of her. With
a white flower which has dainty tracings of pink, a thin, wiry stem, and
narrow, grass-like leaves, this spring flower cannot be mistaken. You
will find spring beauties growing in great patches in rather open
places. Plant a number of the roots and allow the sun good opportunity
to get at them. For this plant loves the sun.

"The other March flower mentioned is the saxifrage. This belongs in
quite a different sort of environment. It is a plant which grows in dry
and rocky places. Often one will find it in chinks of rock. There is an
old tale to the effect that the saxifrage roots twine about rocks and